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POLITICO 44

After a summer of setbacks, President Barack Obama has a clear roadmap for salvaging health care reform:

Convince skeptical Americans that a new system would actually help them, not limit their choices and care. Strike a compromise between liberals who demand a public option and cost-conscious centrists who call it a deal-breaker. Win over Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), an inscrutable moderate. And avoid Death Panels II, a rerun of the potent Republican attacks.

But what’s got to make the White House nervous this week: That’s the same basic roadmap they started out with in February, and it failed to get Obama where he had hoped to be by Labor Day — much closer to a final compromise.

So the White House is sending Obama out to do what they believe he does best — talk to the nation, in a grand setting of a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, where he’ll address a public anxious about overreach, a Democratic Party divided and a Republican Party feeling like they have the upper hand.

Over the Labor Day weekend, the public saw the outlines of a solution for Obama. He previewed his speech with a Democratic call to arms and a challenge to Republicans during a union picnic Monday in Ohio, while Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) released a plan that could form the blueprint for a bipartisan deal.

After months of trying to rise above it all, the president is about to descend into a gritty debate on Capitol Hill.

“The president is personally going to have to be more FDR and LBJ over the next four months in terms of being the lead negotiator telling people exactly what he wants,” said Ralph Neas, head of the National Coalition on Health Care and a veteran of Capitol Hill deal-making. “He is the one who is going to have to put together the votes that get to 60 in the Senate and 218 in the House and that produce the eventual bill that becomes law.”

Here’s what Obama needs to do:

Make peace with the progressives. This will truly test Obama’s abilities as the leader of the Democratic Party.

Liberals want a public insurance option and say they will not support a bill without it. Moderate Democrats say they couldn’t vote for a bill with it. At some point, Obama will need to go with one faction or the other — but so far has been reluctant to definitively pick sides, something that appears unlikely to change in Wednesday’s address.

He appears intent on threading the needle of voicing support for a public option, while making clear he’ll sign a bill without it.

Still, that will likely embolden liberals to hang on to the public option until the president unequivocally tells them no — which could prolong the agony for Democrats, and the weeks needed to get a final deal.

“[The late Massachusetts Sen.] Ted Kennedy could tell the left, ‘This is as far as we can go,’” Neas said. “I am not sure there is anyone else who can do that except Barack Obama.”

If it gets to that point, the White House will argue that progressives can get most of what they want — coverage for tens of millions of uninsured Americans, insurance market reforms and affordable coverage for those who already have coverage.

The alternative, Democrats say, means almost-certain defeat next year and possibly in 2012, as well. The White House is preparing to rally wavering Democrats by invoking a bitter memory most in the party would rather forget: then-President Bill Clinton’s failed health reform effort in the 1990s. The party lost Congress in 1994, aides said, not by trying to do too much on Clinton-style health care but by failing to get any reforms done at all — drawing a parallel to the dangers of inaction this year.

Why should parents be concerned as President Obama prepares to address, via satellite, the children in the public schoolrooms of America? Parents must and should evaluate each and every word and/or point in Obama’s speech. President Obama has appointed and surrounded himself with the most left-wing radicals in US History.

With President Obama’s words being more closely examined on a daily basis, each of you can “betcha” his own words as written have been softened today, slightly differently from a few days ago. You can also anticipate the “mean-stream” media, NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, etc., will not be looking out for (y)our children.

Without the Public option that he campaigned on, and promised the American people, he will be viewed as a LOSER ! If he is not willing to fight for this Historic Legislation after the Democrats have fought for this for years, he is no Leader. He will be viewed as a COWARD who caves in and will lose alot of the People who voted for him. It's now or never time for the Democrats. They have control of the House, Senate and White House if they can't get it done now they never will. The American people want a STRONG PUBLIC OPTION, Nothing less will do !!! The Republicans and Insurance companies should be kicked to the curb, they are insignificant in this legislation !

If Obama comes out and tries to sell a watered down version of Healthcare Reform he will have doomed himself to one term. His lack of Conviction, and his ability to lie and deceive people into believing in what he says will come back to haunt him. People are fed up with the lies and lack of Leadership from his administration ! This President will have done more to harm the Democratic Party than he realizes. He has turned out to be a Wimp, Liar and a LOSER !

Too late, he has already failed the test! He will never quiet the right as long as he continues to destroy everything American! And why bother with the left at all? American people have seen what they are good for and most of them are going to be replaced in 2010 anyway!!!

One of the reasons his poll numbers have dropped so fast is people are beginning to see he cannot get done what he promised, cannot give a straight answer to anything, has morons around him sending mixed and garbled messages. The American people now realize he is incapable of folowing through on the Healthcare reform he campaigned on, the one with the Strong Public option ! People back away from liars and losers ! Hopefully he will begin to get booed where ever he goes. He should be ashamed to look people in the eye and try to sell us a watered down Healthcare reform bill. Not acceptabe Obama. You know what you promised, NOW DELIVER !!!

The UNIONS will not accept Healthcare Reform without a Public Option, Neither will the House. Now get with YOUR PARTY, The one with the Majority, and GET THIS DONE !!!

What could be more extreme than to draft a dramatic health care takeover bill and not read it and proudly say you did not read it? The credibility of the Left is shot. The "mainstream" Democrat party is Left wing, radicalized socialists. There are a few straggler moderates. The press can try to package the Democrat party as swiss cheese, blue cheese, cheddar cheese -- but it is what it is. Those on the Left are trying desperately to unleash the law of unintended consequences. They haven't the foggiest notion what will actually happen when their nutty policies are enacted in full force. They hope it will all end well. But, oh no.

If Obama has to get out a white board and explain to you lot that America has one of the worst, most inefficient and most expensive Health Care systems in the world, then it;s probably a lost cause. Posts like that from ANNandMITT with all the Seil Heil nonsense sorta sums just how ill-informed, fanatical and irrational you right wing loons really are.

Tea baggers & Birthers, - Only in America LOL

There was a time when Australians felt a certain affinity with America, but no more. You lot are just way too far gone. You are not even capable of having a sensible debate on something as important as health care. These town hall meetings give a glimpes into the warped minds of the right wing loons.

" I want my country back" Which is nutjob for " I want a white President.

" Keep your Government hands off my Medicare" Is nutjob for " I have no idea what I'm talking about"

We've had a public option in health care for 30 years, and I never realized that we were actually taken over by Communists and Kenyan born sleeper terrorist socialists 30 years ago.Hmmmm,

And as others have pointed out, the most hate-filled, irrational and fanatical rants come from those professing to be Christians. Hmmmm.

But, it's certainly entertaining: Palin and Beck in 2012.

Some would actually seriously think that was a good thing. Sad, but amusing.

There is no right to health care. No matter how much anyone might like to see or have free medical care, it's just not something we can afford as the Progressives put if forward. This nation is on the brink of financial failure and Progressives are trying to give handouts for votes. A sure recipe for ruin.

If we tighten the belt and get back to working hard we can pull out of this over the next decade. But this is a hard pill to swallow for Americans who have been used to getting whatever they want through the ATM machine that was their home equity. Well, that's all gone. Our money is all gone, except for the mountain of debt the government is borrowing. Do we really want to pile health care on top of that mountain? As a country we are so misguided. We are probably already to the point where the only way out of our debt is hyperinflation. Meaning a loss of whatever equity Americans might have left in their homes. Where are old time American values? This Progressive borrowing is going to do us in.

Barack Obama accused of making 'Depression' mistakes Barack Obama is committing the same mistakes made by policymakers during the Great Depression, according to a new study endorsed by Nobel laureate James Buchanan.

His policies even have the potential to consign the US to a similar fate as Argentina, which suffered a painful and humiliating slide from first to Third World status last century, the paper says.

There are "troubling similarities" between the US President's actions since taking office and those which in the 1930s sent the US and much of the world spiralling into the worst economic collapse in recorded history, says the new pamphlet, published by the Institute of Economic Affairs.

In particular, the authors, economists Charles Rowley of George Mason University and Nathanael Smith of the Locke Institute, claim that the White House's plans to pour hundreds of billions of dollars of cash into the economy will undermine it in the long run. They say that by employing deficit spending and increased state intervention President Obama will ultimately hamper the long-term growth potential of the US economy and may risk delaying full economic recovery by several years.

The study represents a challenge to the widely held view that Keynesian fiscal policies helped the US recover from the Depression which started in the early 1930s. The authors say: "[Franklin D Roosevelt's] interventionist policies and draconian tax increases delayed full economic recovery by several years by exacerbating a climate of pessimistic expectations that drove down private capital formation and household consumption to unprecedented lows."

After months of trying to rise above it all, the president is about to descend into a gritty debate on Capitol Hill.

President Obama did not rise above anything. he was simply voting "present" as he has done for his entire albeit short political career." Leadership is not about voting present on major issues. It is taking a stand for what you believe in. this has yet to be done, maybe Wednesday night, but i doubt it.

As for saying that the phrase and the sentiment attached to it. "I want my country back" Which is nutjob for I want a white President "is a total lack of understanding of how many American feel today. Last time I looked Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are white and this phrase is trown against them. Using the race card everytime a person disagree's with the President is tired and is creating even more anger, as it is tone deaf when people in power, both Republican and Democrat should be listening.

As for saying that the phrase and the sentiment attached to it. "I want my country back" Which is nutjob for I want a white President "is a total lack of understanding of how many American feel today. Last time I looked Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are white and this phrase is trown against them. Using the race card everytime a person disagree's with the President is tired and is creating even more anger, as it is tone deaf when people in power, both Republican and Democrat should be listening.

It's hard to even acknowledge this kind of tripe from these guys, but I applaud your answer. Resorting to this name calling simply shows everyone that the Progressives are out of valid arguments for their attempts to buy the votes of the poor. You'd think they'd be tired of pimping the poor and minorities and figure out how to man up and work a real political strategy, but I guess it's worked long enough to be attractive to the candidates less able to actually show some strength as leaders.

And you probably tout your "Christian" bona fides at the drop of a hat.

No wonder people are turning away from the church in droves.

The GOP rots everything it touches.

Good morning Loretta. Have anything to add to an actual conversation or you just want to do some cheap name calling like the other Progressives here this morning. "Your a racist and a bad Christian" seem to be the best shots out of the gate so far.

And you probably tout your "Christian" bona fides at the drop of a hat.

No wonder people are turning away from the church in droves.

The GOP rots everything it touches.

Good morning Loretta. Have anything to add to an actual conversation or you just want to do some cheap name calling like the other Progressives here this morning. "Your a racist and a bad Christian" seem to be the best shots out of the gate so far.

Where, in my post, is there name-calling?

I am trying to understand how "Christians" reconcile themselves with the denial of healthcare to those less fortunate.

Birthers, Tea baggers, Townn Hall Nutjobs: They all have one thing in common: They simply can not bare the thought of a bloke with a deep tan in White House. Only a right wing loon could ignore the core, fanatcical racism at play in the irrational and fanatical hatred of Obama by the right wing loons

He's been called a Terrorist, An Arab, A Muslem, A sleeper Terrorist, A Socialist, A communist, A Fascist, etc etc etc. You lot are borderline psycopaths. Death Panels? What is wrong with you lot?

At least the likes of Palin and Beck and Hannity and Llimbaugh and Savage et al have an excuse for sprouting this sort of nonsense - They make money out of it. They;re playing to their hick audience.

The unavoidable fact is that America has one of the worst health systems in the developed world.

You right wing loons love to tuck a glock under your flannel shirts and wave your flags and make out your patriotic: What is patriotic about having millions of your fellow Americans with no health cover. What is patriotic about sitting back while millions of your fellow Americans loose everything they've got to pay medical bills? What is patriotic about letting millions of Americans suffer in pain and die without dignity because they don't have sufficient health insurance?

Are you right wing loons even capable of putting away your Tea Bags and Fake Kenyan Birth certificates for 5 minutes and have a serious, sensible debate about health care?

Hmmmm. Lets see hey? Can any of you right wing nut jobs put the hatred and stupidity aside for 5 minutes and post messages on here in a sensible, coherent manner about the options you have for reform of your health care system?

Can even one of you approach this serious subject in a serious sensible manner?

America's health system is stuffed. What are you going to do about it? Can any of you hicks post a sensible message with sensible suggestions, without all the robotic abusive, raving, fanatical rants about Communism and Socialism and all the cr*p you lot go on with : Even ONE of you ?